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Single Parents

Single Parents

Overview

Single parents, most of whom are single mothers, have high poverty rates and high joblessness rates. Legal Momentum advocates for public policies to improve the economic security of single parents and their children.

Poverty Statistics Related to Single Parents

Over one quarter of U.S. children reside with only one of their parents.

As many as half of U.S. children may reside in a single parent family at some point in their childhood.

Single mother families have a poverty rate around 40%.

Single mother families now account for a majority of all poor families with children.

Legal Momentum has issued a statement in response to the recent attacks on the Food Stamp program explaining that the program provides vitally important food aid to help the needy achieve a nutritionally adequate diet.

Poverty is widespread and severe in single mother families. According to the Census Bureau data on poverty in 2010, people in single mother families had a poverty rate of 42.2% and an extreme poverty rate of 21.6%.